Analysis of peer-to-peer car sharing data in major Chinese cities

Abstract

The growing population in urban cities has also led to a higher demand for car ownership. However, the increase in cars can have adverse environmental impacts and constraints on existing city infrastructures. Car sharing stands out as a possible method to maximize car use, whilst maintaining the number of cars on the road in a sustainable manner. However, research insights on peer-to-peer car sharing activities have only been largely limited to the European region. The objective of this study is to identify specific peer-to-peer car sharing utilization and travel patterns based on different time periods of a day and distance from city centres. By analysing the availability of shared cars in 4 major cities in China, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, this study will seek to gather insights on the habits of Chinese citizens when using peer-to-peer car sharing services and to correlate them with related data points.